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Conflict in the Middle East
Original poster

To be worried about the effects on British society of the conflict in Gaza

105 replies

mids2019 · 02/04/2024 20:39

Everyone is aware of the conflict in Gaza and we are delivered information on a daily basis through a range of online media.

I personally think there is an immense human tragedy here and the reporting on the whole is responsible. However I think we must realise in reality we fundamentally can't change the actions of foreign states but governments when appropriate can exert diplomatic pressure. Ultimately the US is the biggest geopolitical player when it comes to Israel.

I do think we have to be conscious of effects within or society in the UK about the prolonged deep feeling about this conflict including rising anti semitism and Islamaohibia. I feel it is very important to maintain community relations within a diverse country and I fear the polarisation brought in some parts of so sorry brought on by the Gaza conflict has a direct and maybe permanent impact on the community ties that bind us in the UK.

I think we have to remember we are all citizens of the UK and we live in a democratic state whose aim on an international level is to act on our interests forging alliances with friends and allies in the world. Israel is an ally of the UK and independent of the current crisis we will have trade and military ties with this partner state.

We have a record of welcoming historically welcoming both Jews and people from majority Muslim countries into the country and I would hate to think that the inflamed feeling about a foreign war leads to permanent division in the UK.

I feel we polarize society into 'Pro palestine' and 'pro Israel' at some level of our identities and these divisions may become permanent given the length and intracractibility of the conflict.

What can be done to make everyone feel safe in this country as far as possible and bond us in terms of being UK citizens in a global community?

OP posts:
PurpleChrayn · 03/04/2024 00:50

NerdWhoEatsMedlar · 03/04/2024 00:34

I get what you are saying but history has also told us not to ignore genocide.

Hamas has expressly said on many occasions that they won't stop until the Jews are exterminated. What are we supposed to do with that? Just let them?

Scirocco · 03/04/2024 00:43

There is a very strong anti-Muslim sentiment in many areas of society and government. So it would be inaccurate in the eyes of many to promote the current government and society as being 'not anti-Muslim'. To attempt to do so would be to disregard the lived experiences of many people.

NerdWhoEatsMedlar · 03/04/2024 00:34

I get what you are saying but history has also told us not to ignore genocide.

Original poster
mids2019 · 03/04/2024 00:28

@BerryMess

I completely agree which is why I think we have to view the Isarel Gaza conflict as a conflict between a state and a nascent state and not focus overly on religion. I think if we look at the broad reasons for conflict between Israel and other states we can't discount religion as it is no coincidence Israel wa s founded in the 'holy land' with Jeruslam, the physical confluence of 3 religions at its heart but bringing religion into the broad reasons for conflict is itself problematic.

we have a diverse community within the UK and I am sure that there are nefarious parties that wish to pit this conflict as Mulsim v non Muslim and I think we should aim to prevent this.

I think we have to promote t the fact Britain as a state is not 'anti Muslim' and argue that Britain's continued relations with Israel are not founded as some egregious attempt to fight against a particular religion.

I think there is a possibility many of the 200 000 that march in support of the Palestinian people do in some measure have shared religion as a source of empathy and we should be conscious of that and it's implications for the UK.

By having a continued focus on Gaza we could exacerbate tensions in our own communities to an extent where it becomes difficult for a Muslim child to interact in good faith with a Jewish one and this is something I fervently wish we can avoid.

I also think that when Hamas launched its attack they were fully aware of how the conflict would pan out from an international observers perspective so we must be careful not to fall for a narrative they wish.

We don't wish Muslims in this country to feel that interacting with Jews is somehow a betrayal or Jews are so scared they become isolated and hide their religious heritage. We should not embolden those that would malign Muslims either in terms of superficial sharing of the same religion as the Hamas attackers on October 7th.

OP posts:
BerryMess · 03/04/2024 00:03

Very good point. I foresee more divisive political parties like reform UK gaining big wins in the next election. There have also been recent attempts for the party of Islam to register with the electoral commision and although this has been rejected on the basis of unclear finances, I believe the Muslim party uk is still set to launch. I don't think sectarian politics will help bind communities together, which in the light of what's happening in gaza/ Israel, is what we need more than ever right now.